The Lebanese American University (LAU) announced on May 23 that it will grant an honorary doctorate to interior minister Raya Hassan during the 2019 graduation ceremony planned for June 14 at LAU Beirut campus. The award is in recognition of Hassan’s advanced position in the Lebanese State, being the first Arab woman to serve as minister of interior. LAU will also award honorary doctorates to former members of the University’s board of trustees, former presidents Philip Stoltzfus and Mohamad Mike Ahmar. LAU President Joseph Jabra said that each one of the three honorees boasts distinctive creativity and leadership at the personal level, but that the feature they share is their involvement in community service and human advancement, which meets LAU’s ultimate objectives. (An Nahar, May 24, 2019)